Review: Honey Tea - Love from Minnesota

Type: Flavored Black
Producer: Love from Minnesota
Origin: Sri Lanka
Brewing Parameters: 90°C, 250mL water, 2.2g teabag, 5 min.
Appearance: Small, rectangular paper tea bag with small black fannings
Rating: B | 84/100
# of Brews: 1

Tasting Notes and Thoughts
So, I was supposed to review a different tea today, but my parents just got back from Minnesota and they brought this back. There's actually less information on the packaging for this tea than the ones from Taiwan; all I could really find was the name of the company (with a very cheesy and touristy logo), name of the tea, and location of production. The brewing parameters above, therefore, are what I'm choosing to do for myself.

The honey smell for this tea is very apprarent. It's in the loose leaf and the brewed liquid. I'm not versed enough in honey to figure out the flower its from, but it's very concentrated. If you've cooked with honey, or made honey candy before, you'd know the smell– it's very strong. As for the actual tea, it brewed a dark ruby color. It tastes very fruity (like berries) with notes of chocolate. I don't taste any strong honey flavors, but I think it adds a natural sweetness which is subtle, but there. There's only a slight bitter taste and some astringency after drinking, and a sour flavor lingers on the tongue. Overall, I'm pleasantly surprised at how good this tea is. It's a bit pricy; apparently it was around $5 for only 15 tea bags. I'd like to try it with milk, but it doesn't need extra sweetener.


Other Notes
Today's album isn't exactly an album. It's D.R.A.M's NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert, which is pretty good. I found it through Chance the Rapper's Tiny Desk Concert (recommend that one too!). Generally, I've only really heard D.R.A.M. at parties or dances, but I'm actually very surprised how good of a singer he is. He reminds me of a few soul singers. The version of Broccoli he sings in this concert is great– much different than the album version.

After my parents left on Wednesday to go visit my sister in Minnesota, I've been very busy. I graduated the Justice Academy that day; the group speech went well (i.e. not great), but apparently I spoke well enough that I was asked to give a testimonial of the program for the press team. Afterwards, I got lunch with my friends at a Thai place and went home.

From Thursday to Sunday, I've either been getting high or drunk each day, and I regret it so much. On Friday, I hung out with one of my guy friends for the first time this summer (as I mentioned previously, I've been hanging out with girls exclusively) and of course, he wanted to smoke. It was fun seeing him again, since we grew up together and haven't met since school ended, but I remembered why I don't like hanging out with him too often: every time we hang out he wants to get high and tries to pressure everyone into it. After that, I cooked dinner with that friend that's also going to Cal and we watched Moonrise Kingdom (great movie, I loved it).

Then, on Saturday, I went to San Francisco to present a We the People testimony for next year's teams with my unitmate and a few friends from other schools. It went well; I'm a bit disappointed in the team from my school, though, since they were the last group to arrive and came in the smallest numbers. They're good at speaking, but I feel like the other teams have more motivation and potential than ours. After the workshops were over, the people hosting the event brought us to lunch at the Irish Bank and after, we went to get milk tea. I spent the rest of the evening with one of the people from the other schools (same unit as that girl I liked). We watched Antz and Hot Fuzz, had a few beers and a shot, and ate some of the birthday cheesecake I baked for her.

After she left, my guy friends called me up randomly to ask if they wanted to hang out (at around 10 pm), and I said yes since I haven't seen one of them in a while. I ended up regretting it. In short, they were high and smoked throughout the night, and we got In N Out, played Mario Kart, and watched videos we made as kids. It was fun, but again, my problem is that the only thing my guy friends want to do when we hang out is get high. It sounds more judgy than I wish it does, but they seem a lot more and more like stereotypical douchy fratboys.

I always thought that, in college, I wanted to be someone who goes out to parties and gets drunk and does all that stuff. But, after this weekend, and comparing it to my different friend groups, I don't think that it's for me. I don't know if it's because I've drifted apart from my old friend group (the guys), or what, but I just don't find the same enjoyment they do in smoking, skateboarding, freestyle rapping, or BMXing. I don't enjoy getting high as a kite, or drunk off my ass, or having intimate relationships with girls only for sex. I like doing what I do with the friends I made this year– cooking dinner together, going out for food, watching movies, hanging out together, and only occasionally, having a few beers or some weed. Doing bad stuff is nice in moderation, and when it isn't the only thing you do with your friends. I can't handle doing it every day like some of my friends do, nor do I want to. I guess it's good that I'm figuring this stuff out now; as much as I tell people to embrace who they are and do what they love (especially for college applications), I've struggled with coming to terms with my identity. It's hard, man, and I hope I figure it out in college.

Review: Ginseng Oolong - Loyal Tea

Type: Flavored Oolong
Producer: Loyal Tea
Origin: Taiwan
Brewing Parameters: 95-100°C (recommended); brewing with 6 g and gongfu style
Appearance: Medium sized balled leaves with a thick coating of dark green flavoring
Rating: B | 84/100
# of Brews: 5

Tasting Notes and Thoughts
Personally, I think this tea is kind of gimmicky– with my experience with blue people ginseng oolong from Vital Tea Leaf, it's good at first but gets very old very quickly. If you're unaware of what ginseng oolong generally is, it's a roasted oolong rolled into balls and then coated in a ginseng and stevia mix. It's interesting because it tastes like a regular roasted oolong, but has a very sweet aftertaste that stays on the breath long after drinking.

First off, compared to Vital Tea Leaf's, this oolong has larger leaves with more powder/flavoring. When I washed the tea (which I don't recommend), the liquid was somewhat of a bright green color; however, in every subsequent brew, it was a dark yellowish-gold color. The flavor itself is soupy and savory with some smoky coffee and sour notes. With the sweet taste of the flavoring, the sour taste is especially prevalent, coming in and leaving on the back end of the tongue quickly. This is no different from Vital Tea Leaf's; the trademark sweet aftertaste of ginseng oolong is prevalent on this one, too.

Overall, I think it's obvious what I think; while this particular brand is a good tea, ginseng oolong is nice as a once in a while drink. It's one of those teas that I would give to someone if they were knew to tea, because it's interesting and drunk more for the experience than the actual flavor.


Other Notes

Today's album is Lungs by Florence + the Machine. It's a bit old now, but I mainly chose it for the song Dog Days are Over (which I feel is pretty fitting, now that high school is over). The whole album is great, though; I wish I actually did a full listen a while ago.

I graduated on Friday. A lot has happened since then, but I'll save it for its own post. I don't really have much planned for the next few weeks, but I need to catch up on my writing and do some stuff for Berkeley.

Review: Chocolate Chipotle - Tea Chai Te

Type: Flavored Black (Chai)
Producer: Tea Chai Te
Origin: Assam
Brewing Parameters: 2 tsp, 1 part boiling water, 2 parts heated milk, 6 min. for 8 oz. (recommended)
Appearance: A dark orange powder (chipotle, chocolate, cardamon, cinnamon, and more) with small CTC leaves and anise
Rating: A- | 91/100
# of Brews: 1

Tasting Notes and Thoughts
First off, this tea has a ridiculous amount of powder; it seems like there's more spice than there is actual tea. It smells great, but the ratio of flavoring to leaf is something I haven't seen before. Brewing it like the caramel creme brulee chai, it came off a bit darker and a light tan/brown color. The smell is very chocolatey, with the spicy chipotle coming in second.

Reading some reviews for this tea, people say that it's very spicy. I didn't get that; while it is somewhat spicy, the milk does a good job of masking it. The main flavor is a creamy chocolate with cinnamon. Like most other chais, the spice stays in your throat after drinking and comes out when you breathe. Overall, surprisingly good considering that I don't like spicy food that much.

Other Notes

Today's album is the unreleased Black Cab EP by Higher Brothers. I haven't listened to the entire thing (obviously because it's not out yet), but I found them through 88rising/Yaeji. Although I can't speak/understand Chinese, all of the songs currently out are actually pretty good. Beats are nice, they can rap really well, and some of them are pretty damn funny. My favorite song is 7-11.

I also got back from the UCLA weekend. I came in there with the idea that the chances of me going to Cal over UCLA is 90-10, but coming back, it's now 50-50. I have an amazing squad from there and we all text each other and have a ton of pictures. I love the campus/location, food, and people there, but the issues are that: 1. I don't have Regents, 2. it's pretty far from home (and my parents would have to drive 6-8 hours to get there), and 3. I'm unsure about the academics. I love Cal because I've been to it so often and know it so well, but my main issue is the people and competition; everyone at LA seems so happy and friendly, which is a vibe I don't get at Cal. I'm personally leading towards LA because I feel like undergrad should be about the experience and not the academics, but my parents are pissed about it. I have a week to decide, so we'll see, probably when I get back from DC.

Review: Caramel Creme Brulee - Tea Chai Te

Type: Flavored Black (Chai)
Producer: Tea Chai Te
Origin: Ceylon
Brewing Parameters: 2 tsp, 1 part boiling water, 2 parts heated milk, 6 min. for 8 oz. (recommended)
Appearance: Small, broken up black leaves with a few twigs
Rating: A- | 90/100
# of Brews: 1

Tasting Notes and Thoughts
Quick review today because I have a ton of work to do. This tea smells amazing– very aromatic, but not too artificial– but for some reason, it's marketed as a chai. I see it more as a flavored black tea, because from looking at the tea, it's just leaves; I'm pretty sure chai usually has spices mixed in.

Anyway, although it's a flavored black in my opinion, I brewed it like a chai according to their instructions (3-4g instead of 2 heaping teaspoons, 4 oz water with 8 oz milk and temperatures aren't exact). After brewing, the liquid was a sort of gray-light brown with a strong caramel-vanilla scent. I didn't add any sweetener, but the milk and the flavoring of the tea is already pretty sweet on its own. There is a light cinnamon/spice taste, but it tastes mostly how it smells– like caramel and vanilla. It's very smooth, and with the milk, it's not bitter at all. Overall, if you like flavored teas, go for this; I like it. I can see it used as a cooking ingredient, and since it's pretty sweet on its own, you can make this in bulk and serve it pretty easily without having to figure out sugar/sweetener ratios.

Other Notes

Today's album is the Sophtware Slump by Grandaddy. I've heard Grandaddy before (AM 180 is my jam), but lately I've been on a binge of their albums after hearing a few songs from this album. Their style changes a lot, but this is a good concept album.

As I said above, a lot of work to do today. I've been pretty lazy over break, but now with the UCLA trip this week, finals starting next week, and comp civics national finals next week too, I need to get my act together. I'll try to do another review of the last Portland tea (Chocolate Chipotle chai) when I get the time to, but don't expect any more posts until the end of the month. See you all later! 

Review: Hazelnut Cookie - Spice and Tea Exchange

Type: Flavored Black
Producer: Spice and Tea Exchange
Origin: Ceylon
Brewing Parameters: 1 tsp, 8 oz. water,  212°F, 3 min. (recommended)
Appearance: Small, broken up and curled dark brown/black leaves
Rating: B+ | 89/100
# of Brews: 1

Tasting Notes and Thoughts
Since this is a black tea with small leaves, and since it's flavored, I'm going to be brewing this Western style today as per the recommended instructions (4g instead of a teaspoon, and a bit more than 8 oz of water though). No milk or sweetener added, but I'll probably be adding those on my own time.

First things first– this tea smells amazing dry. The hazelnut smell really comes through, with very sweet and slightly caramel undertones. Brewing it, the tea came out an opaque, dark brown color still with the sweet hazelnut smell, but also a bit of earthiness characteristic of English Breakfast tea. The flavor itself is a bit bitter (may be because of the amount of leaf), with a bit of citrus sourness and earthiness. The hazelnut cookie flavor comes after, and its sweetness helps balance the coffee-like flavor of the base. The tea does go down pretty smoothly, but it does dry the throat slightly and leaves the sour taste on your tongue.

Overall, it's less sweet than Lupicia's cookie tea, but that doesn't mean its bad. Personally, I like it; I think it'd go well with milk and honey, and it'd be good for those who enjoy coffee.

Other Notes

Today's album is Art Angels by Grimes. Not sure how I found her, but lately, this album has been my jam. I like most of the songs on this album; my favorites are Kill v. Maim, Butterfly, and Realiti (demo version). All of the music videos for this album are trippy as hell, too, which is great.

So, last night I got off of work at around 11:30 PM. It was pouring; I gave my umbrella to my grandparents, so guess who had to run through the rain home. I didn't mind, though, because I felt really good by the end. I sprinted about half of the way, and then I realized, soaking head to toe, that there's no reason for me to rush home. There's something about spring rain that doesn't make you feel cold– you're soaking, but you're still strangely warm. Since I work at an ice cream shop, I brought some that I made and I ended up just sitting on the street sidewalk and eating, listening to the rain and continuing to get soaked. It was a great experience; afterwards, it felt like everything's going to be okay for the rest of this year, college, and later. Now, let's just hope I don't get sick again after that.

Review: Jasmine Mandarin Special Grade - Lupicia

Type: Flavored/Scented Green
Producer: Lupicia
Origin: China
Brewing Parameters: 2.6 g bag, 100°C, 1.5-2 min. (recommended)
Appearance: Small, rolled green and yellow-green leaves (pan-fried) in a nylon pyramid bag
Rating: B+ | 88/100
# of Brews: 4

Tasting Notes and Thoughts
Another sample bag I received in the mail from Lupicia. A long time ago, I tried Lupicia's standard Jasmine Mandarin during the 100 Days of Tea, but at this point, I've forgotten what it tasted like. Although this is a teabag, I'm cupping it today; I ripped open the teabag and poured the loose leaf into the tasting set. I'll still be brewing it at boiling temperature for 1-2 minutes, as recommended. Today's review will be quick, since I have a lot of work to do.

For the first brew, I only brewed for about a minute. The liquid came out a yellow amber color, with a very strong jasmine scent (obviously). Interestingly, the leaves had a different aroma; they were a bit more smoky and coffee-like, with a lighter floral scent. Since it's a small amount of water at a high temperature, the tea itself was slightly bitter. There's some sour kick to it with some fruitiness, which transitions to the floral jasmine flavor with bitter undertones. It lingers for a while in the mouth with a sweet taste and a smooth texture– somewhat soupy and thick.

The second brew was only 30 seconds to a minute. At this point, I've decided that I'm just brewing it more gongfu-style with a tea cupping set instead of the actual cupping style (where everything stays constant). The liquid was a much darker yellow color– hate to describe it this way, but it's like a dehydrated person's urine (now that's a descriptor!)– with relatively the same aroma. With that color, I would've guessed it would be more bitter, but surprisingly, it's not. It lost the sour taste and gained more of a sweet and vegetal flavor.

I ended up going to four brews, when the tea was starting to lose its flavor; it could still go for a few more. From the other jasmine green teas I've tasted, I think this one is pretty good. The leaves are high quality, and not broken up. It's forgiving in brewing; it doesn't turn extremely bitter if you brew it a second too long. It's not necessarily as floral scented/tasting as other jasmine greens, but it's good.

Other Notes

Today's album is Triple J's Hottest 100 for 2015. I randomly came across the Triple J Hottest 100 for 2016, while it was airing live on Australia Day, and I actually really enjoyed it. Sadly, I stayed up past 1 AM listening to the entire playlist after joining when it was around number 47. Great selections for both years, though.

Welp, let's talk about two things today: the Legion Oratorical contest and State for Competition Civics. First, round 2 of the Legion Oratorical happened yesterday, and I'm actually pretty happy about it. I had to come 2-3 hours early because I had to catch a ride with one of the organizers of the event, and I spent most of that time reading Civil Disobedience by Thoreau and studying for comp civics. When the other contestants came an hour before we started, we all actually hit it off with each other. It was me, a girl from Hayward High, and two guys from Oakland Military Institute. Compared to round 1, the guys from OMI were super cool and we all hit it off together. We spent a lot of time talking about school, things we're interested in, and politics. It was a pretty diverse group, racially, but we all shared the same interests– one of the OMI guys and I bonded over Aldnoah.Zero. Every time someone had to leave to go present, there were brohugs all around. I ended up taking second place with a score of 437– 2 points behind first place with 439 points. I'm not even mad about it; the guy who won is super nice– he even almost started crying because this was the first time OMI advanced past round 2– and I don't have to worry about practicing anymore now. As second, I took home $100 for a grand total of $300 for (admittedly) not that much preparation. My only regret? Not participating in this contest before senior year.

Oh, and also, many of the judges said that I have the speaking skills (just need to slow down) and knowledge/understanding to enter law or politics. I'm still unsure about what career I want to enter, but hey– at least I know my majors now. After talking with the organizer (the one who drove me there), I think I want to do a double major in environmental sciences and American studies. He told me about his daughter who went to Cal, what she did in high school (comp civics, too!) and college, and what she does for work now. I'm excited.

Second is state for Competition Civics. There are four days left, including today. For the most part, I think we're ready; the issue is that we're restructuring one of our testimonies now, but better late than never, right? To be honest, I don't know how it's going to go, though. Our rival school from Northern California, I'd say, is on par with us; our rival from Southern California, I'm guessing, is probably much better. I trust my unit to do their best, but I'm not sure about the rest of the team. It looks like their getting everything together, but I'm hoping we don't have to carry them in terms of points (which is what happened last round). I'll probably write a full post regarding my feelings about state the day or night we go; here's what I think, though– it's going to be a tossup. 

Review: Earl Grey - Tea of Life

Type: Flavored Black
Producer: Tea of Life (Amazon Teas)
Origin: Sri Lanka
Brewing Parameters: ~1.6 g, 100°C, 3 min.
Appearance: Small, white/bleached paper tea bags with black tea dust/fannings
Rating: B | 85/100
# of Brews: 1

Tasting Notes and Thoughts
Today's review will be a quick one, since it's just a tea bag and Earl Grey (which I consider to be a daily drink and should be gulped down quickly in the morning rush). I got this as a gift from a family friend for Christmas, and I've been drinking it ever since. While it does looks like kind of a cheap tea (nothing wrong with that), I will admit that it comes in a very nice gift tin with 50 teabags in foil packaging.

Usually, I drink this tea with a decent amount of milk and honey, but this review is going to be me drinking the tea straight. After brewing for 3 minutes (I originally planned to do 5), the color of the tea came out to be a dark amber caramel color, with the main scent being the bergamot oil (which was itself pretty standard - sweet, citrusy, slightly floral). The flavor itself is a bit sour, starting off with an earthy, slightly chocolate taste which transitions into the citrus of the oil. There's a vague sweetness which lingers after drinking, along with a dry sensation that grips the throat (most Earl Greys have this; I'm guessing it's the oil or the tea these producers use).

All in all, I enjoy this tea as my daily drink. Having it straight today– the first time ever, actually– made me realize that it's actually a pretty good tea, considering how sketchy the packaging/labels look (packaging itself looks nice; the labels look like its trying to be fancy but its just very low quality in general). Depending on your preferences, the tea is good either way, with or without sugar. I have no idea where you can buy this, though.

Other Notes

Today's album is the Promise EP by Mark Redito. Together with the Desire album, Mark Redito's music is great for relaxing (I use it to sleep sometimes) with catchy electronic synth and vocals. It even has Sarah Bonito from Kero Kero Bonito featuring in one of the tracks! I actually went to one of Mark's concerts back in August at the DNA Lounge, and it was super fun; there were lots of people dancing and talking with each other, and in general, it felt like a family even though none of us had ever met before. Mark is a very energetic DJ, too, which contributes to the hype (there were a lot of Jollibee chants, because Filipinos).

Anyway, here's what happened recently. First, I watched Moonlight; it's a good movie– a bit slow, but I enjoyed the themes and cinematography. Second, we're entering the final 2 weeks of preparation for the We the People state competition, and I have no idea how that's going to go. We were told by a judge that we're around 80% of the way there to becoming ready, but the issue is that my unit members don't use evidence to back up their points (reasoning is great, but there's really no point to reasoning if you can't give it ethos/credibility). I ended up taking a break from my jobs for the next few weeks in order to spend most of my time practicing for comp civics; I also plan to spend less time in mock trial since I'm the journalist and have more of just a auxiliary position.

Lastly, I actually got first and $200 for that oratorical contest. I didn't plan to; since there were only 3 people competing (me and two guys from Oakland Military Institute), I was guaranteed $75. I only came to present and get paid, but now it looks like I'll be advancing to the District round this coming Saturday. For some reason, I thought a discourse meant that it'd be a conversation; the judges would pick a random topic, ask questions, and I'd answer them. I didn't know it meant that it's a full 3-5 minute speech on a randomly selected topic; I got lucky, though, when they picked the 10th Amendment (since that was the focus of an entire unit for AP Gov). Now that I know what to do for that, I can prepare better; the main criticism I got was that I need to slow down– listening to myself speak afterwards, it was ridiculously fast. Nerves are a bitch. Also, for some reason, I got a Cobra-Kai (the rival school from Karate Kid) vibe from the Oakland Military guys and their teacher, which was kind of unnerving. People want me to become a lawyer, now, too.

So, today I'll just be working on homework for AP Chem, studying for an AP Macro test, reading the Warmth of Other Suns for African American Lit, and doing more comp civics stuff. It's mostly just a work day, since yesterday was comp civics practice in SF and that speech contest. I just plan to catch up and clear my schedule so I can do more practice/studying the rest of this week, woo!

Review: Stormy Night - David's Tea

Type: Flavored Black
Producer: DAVIDsTEA
Origin: Unknown
Brewing Parameters: 2.5-5 g; ~100°C; 4-7 min. (recommended)
Appearance: Thin, curled black tea leaves with chunks of chocolate and small, white pieces of dried coconut
Rating: B- | 80/100
# of Brews: 1

Tasting Notes and Thoughts
So, this isn't my first time drinking a David's Tea tea, but I think this is my first review of one. I can see why some people say why David's Tea isn't really tea; to be honest, who would even think to put actual chocolate in tea? It's a weird combo, especially with the coconut, vanilla, and whatever else is in this. I got this tea as a gift from my sister, who picked it up during/after Halloween, since it was on sale (or a special?).

Anyway, after brewing, the tea came out a dark brown/amber color with a thin layer of oil on top (probably from the chocolate). The only smell I got from it was the coconut with a bit of sweet cinnamon. Essentially, that's what the taste is, too– slightly sweet with the taste of coconut and cinnamon. When you first sip it, it starts off with a little bitterness, followed the sweet and lightly sour taste of the coconut. It's a bit milky, and gradually dies off into the cinnamon taste, which lingers  in the mouth for a short period. I also noticed some soapy notes. It's very smooth with little astringency, but it does leave the waxy taste in the mouth.

All in all, I thought this tea was decent. It's nothing special (except maybe for what's in the tea blend), but I'd keep it as a daily drinker (which I've been doing for a while now). Personally, I'm not too keen on coconut flavored things, but it's not too bad for what it is. Try it with milk and honey/sweetener.

Other Notes

Today's album is the La La Land Original Motion Picture Soundtrack. I've already talked about how I felt about the movie in a previous post, but I ended up picking up the soundtrack after a friend recommended me to (you know, the one I watched the movie with). For some reason, the piano tracks remind me of The Apartment's soundtrack, which is nice. My favorite tracks are City of Stars, Someone in the Crowd, and Audition (The Fools Who Dream).

Happy Martin Luther King Jr. weekend! It's going to be more work, again, for me (mainly comp civics - we have about 3 weeks left until state, and we're getting to where we need to be but it's going to take a lot of effort). I also just have homework for classes and the speech for an oratorical contest about the Constitution. For fun stuff, I'm watching Moonlight today– it finally opened at a theatre near me– and yesterday, I got lunch with friends.

To be completely honest, I still think I'm going to burn out soon. Friday, I was up until 2 AM doing the work that my unit was supposed to help me with, and I ended up going to bed at like 8 PM yesterday because of the lack of sleep through the whole week. I woke up this morning feeling like I might become sick, and now I'm taking a ton of vitamins. We'll see, but hey– on the bright side of things, I'm exercising again.

Review: Soleil Levant - Lupicia

Type: Flavored Green
Producer: Lupicia
Origin: Japan
Brewing Parameters: 3g tea bag, 90-100°C, 1-1.5 min. (recommended)
Appearance: Rolled, dark green leaves (sencha) with yellow and purple flower petals and red spheres (no idea what they are– dried berries?)
Rating: B- | 80/100
# of Brews: 2

Tasting Notes and Thoughts
So, I got a sample tea bag of this tea in the mail since I'm subsribed to Lupicia's monthly newsletter. I'm reviewing this the way I used to during the 100 Days of Tea– just an easy Western style brew im a large mug. Now, onto the review.

Holy crap, this tea has a ridiculously strong smell. The moment I opened the sample wrapper, the aroma of grape sucker punched my nose; if you know what grape Hi-Chew smells like, it's definitely that. This tea is very similar to Lupicia's other grape teas (Budou Green is the one that comes to mind) in terms of the concept and smell– it's a sencha with grape flavoring and apparently some matcha.

Surprisingly, it brewed up as a nice, dark yellowish-green considering that it's a sencha and I used boiling water. The aroma was relatively the same as the dry leaf, and the liquid itself was cloudy, probably due to the matcha. As for the flavor, I'm actually really surprised at how sour it was; I'm not sure if it was the grape flavoring or the sencha itself, but the closest thing I can relate it to is a very diluted lemon juice. When drinking, the first thing you taste is the sour kick, which transitions into the somewhat sweeter grape flavor (which isn't artificial at all– the Japanese are pretty good at recreating fruit flavors) with some grassy notes. It leaves a slightly dry feeling in the mouth, but not the throat, with a floral and grapefruit aftertaste.

Overall, it's alright. It's definitely been a while since I've had a flavored tea (except for Earl Grey), so I'm iffy on this. One issue I've noticed with these types of teas–the ones with matcha mixed in– is that they become bitter if left alone too long. You can take the leaves out, but the matcha powder stays in and continues to brew. I wouldn't drink this as a daily thing, but if friends were over, I'd take it out.

As a side note, I decided to brew this tea a second time, and it was a lot better– sweeter and smoother (probably because most of the flavoring washed off). If you ever buy this, I suggest trying to brew it at least a few times to see how the flavor tastes.

Other Notes

Today's album is Scenery 1976 by Ryo Fukui. This randomly showed up on my Recommended feed on Youtube a couple of weeks back, and it's a pretty good jazz album (very piano oriented).

Talking about jazz, that leads me into my next point! I watched La La Land with my family and a friend last night and it was really good. Romantic movies aren't usually my thing, but, damn, the ending hit way too close to home for both me and my friend. We both went home feeling pretty down; I still love the movie though. The next movie I plan to see is Moonlight; I'm waiting for it to start playing at the local theatres, but I've heard good things about it. I'm excited.

Anyway, today is the last day of Winter break. I don't really have that many plans; I have comp civics practice again, this review, maybe a lunch with some friends, and studying for a chem quiz tomorrow. It's weird, thinking about how this is the last winter break I'll ever have (in high school, at least). I'm kind of worried because it'll be my last semester– I want to finish with a 4.0 unweighted GPA, win state for comp civics, and do so much more– but at the same time, it's nice to finally get back to seeing people and having stuff to do. Oh well. Five months to go.

Review: Mahina - Lupicia

Type: Flavored Rooibos (Tisane)
Producer: Lupicia
Origin: South Africa
Brewing Parameters: 2.5-3g; 100­°C; 3-5 min.
Appearance: Very small, orange red leaves (since it's rooibos, it looks like red tanbark) with chunks of fruit, rose petals, and marigold petals
Rating: B | 86/100
# of Brews: 3

Tasting Notes and Thoughts
So, first, let me preface this with the note that, personally, I love bananas (which this tea is flavored like), but recently have been a bit sick of them. The reason why is that I had a peanut butter and banana sandwich in my backpack a couple of days ago; I thought I finished it, but it turns out I didn't, and the bananas essentially became the consistency of juice. Said banana juice spilled out of the bag it was in, into my bag, and onto a few of my books. As a result, my bag began to smell like a mix between rotting trash (the smell of foodwaste that has been sitting in a can for a while) and bananas. I ended up having to smell that for a full school day, so right now, I can't really stand the smell.

If you've been following my blog for a while (or look at the sidebar), you can tell that I barely drink rooibos tea. It's not really that I don't like rooibos, but rather that I don't purchase rooibos that often (I usually only get it in packs of different teas). As for this tea (or tisane, if you're anal like that), it appears to be of the red type; however, the leaves are much more broken up than the other teas I've seen. I'd compare it to, say, the size of tea fannings. As for the smell, it's a surprisingly accurate banana aroma (maybe a bit overripe, but still) with a tiny bit of the cough syrup/menthol smell found in most rooibos.

Again, I brewed the tea in a kyusu (I really need to get a western-style teapot, don't I) for five minutes. The liquid came out a very deep red-orange. According to the item description, the tea has actual chunks of mango with banana flavoring, and that is very obvious in both the taste and smell. The liquid smells exactly like the dried leaf, but maybe a bit more indiscriminately fruity and less like banana. The taste is actually a bit like bubble gum at first, followed by an unsweet (unripe, to an extent) banana flavor. It ends abruptly and dries the throat a lot, to the point where I felt like coughing after each drink. The aftertaste is a minty, cooling sensation, with a slight cough syrup taste of most rooibos. To be honest, I'm not sure how I feel about this tea as a whole. It's obviously one of the better rooibos teas I've had, and does banana well (I don't think I've even seen a banana flavored tea), but it's not one of the better teas I've had. I'd try it cold brewed, but it's not too bad hot. (On a good note, I noticed that the tea didn't try my throat nearly as much in the second brew, and the flavor was only marginally weaker. However, the third brew didn't really have any flavor.)

Other Notes
And that's the end of the Hawaii-specific teas! I'll be getting to the other senchas when I'm up to it and have the time to. The one I'm most excited for is a sencha from Yakushima island; I loved the Tanegashima tea, and since Yakushima is near, I'm assuming the tea will be somewhat similar (that is, if the soil and everything else there are similar).

Along with the Hawaii-specific teas, I'm also done with my first week of school! I ended up sticking with my schedule because it turns out I'm actually pretty decent in ceramics, like working with my hands, and enjoy the teacher's stress-relief and life tips (and he's very, very big on them). I also won't be able to switch into AP English Lit because almost every class has forty students; in fact, some classes don't have enough desks for people to sit in since there are too many students. When I talked to my counselor about it, she pretty much said to not worry because I'm taking two English classes already and Competition Civics (so it doesn't look like I'm slacking off senior year). I love African American Lit since it's essentially a history class with a lot of reading, World Lit since the teacher's great and I have quite a few friends in the class, AP Chem since it's a nice challenge (and other than the first test, I have been doing it pretty decently and correctly), AP Gov/Macro since the teacher's great at lectures and the topic's interesting, and Comp Civics because, well, it's comp civics.

Today, though, I ended up going to San Francisco for the final comp civics workshop, and I thought it was interesting since the topic was the Bill of Rights. After the workshop, the team went to a Chinese restaurant, which was a great bonding experience in my opinion. Tomorrow, I'll be going to the Oakland Art and Soul Festival to volunteer with the Uhuru Africans again.

There's also one thing I want to mention, too. So, my best friend has liked this girl for a while, and she's leaving to do an international exchange program. The thing is, yesterday we were hanging out when she texted him, asking if we'd like to get dinner with her. When we went to eat, they were late, and got a table without us (because we didn't want to eat, they didn't invite us to sit with them, so we were stuck outside the restaurant for one or two hours, after waiting an hour). They finally wanted to meet with us at a Starbucks when they were done eating, but when they came in, they pretty much just bought drinks, got them, and left without really hanging out or talking at all. Needless to say, I', pretty pissed about it, and my friend is heartbroken since she didn't even hug him (they've been friends for years now) when she left, and that was the last time he'll see her. I can't tell if they noticed how rude they were being, but oh well. Hopefully he gets over it soon, because on the ride home, he was very upset. Relationships, man.

Review: Palekaiko - Lupicia

Type: Flavored Black
Producer: Lupicia
Origin: India, Indonesia
Brewing Parameters: 2-2.5g; 100­°C; 2-2.5 min.
Appearance: Crushed/rolled black and brown leaves with chunks of yellow, purple, and red flower petals
Rating: B | 84/100
# of Brews: 2

Tasting Notes and Thoughts
So, when I went to Hawaii, I bought a set of mini tins containing Lupicia's Hawaii selection. It had six teas– the ones I've reviewed for the past week– but, while I was looking through the store, I found a seventh, not in the set. I'll be reviewing that one next, which means I'll be done with the Hawaii teas very soon. After that, I just have two interesting Japanese greens, and a variety of random tea bags. As for the description of today's tea, it is said to be "a sweet-tart passion fruit flavored black tea... accented with spicy ginger." Interesting.

Just opening the foil bag containing the loose leaf could I tell that this tea was going to be different. The smell was outright weird; dry, it smelled exactly like fruity nail polish remover, but wet, it smelled like tonkatsu sauce (or worcestershire sauce). The liquid was a very bright golden color– I don't know why, considering its black tea base (I'd have expected it to be darker). Tasting it, I thought it was one of the better teas in the set. It didn't really have the spice of the ginger, but it definitely had the tart flavor of the passion fruit. The taste begins with the mellow taste of the passion fruit, with a tiny bit of chocolate. As you keep drinking, it gets slightly more and more sour until you stop; then, it gradually dies out on an aftertaste. It's relatively smooth and doesn't leave any waxy feeling in your mouth. The tea doesn't seem to have a long life, however, as the taste was pretty weak by the time of the second brew. All in all, not the worst tea, but not the best; I'd recommend it for people who aren't into very fruity teas, which make up the majority of Lupicia's Hawaii teas.

Other Notes

I took my first test in AP Chem! And.... I got a D+. To be honest, I'm not that surprised; although it's much, much less than what I aimed for, I'm not that upset (at all, really). I can't tell if its early onset senioritis or what. The thing is, I have had no formal teaching for chemistry– all I know was learned in a month out of a textbook and study guide. So, in my mind, I know jack about the subject, so I think this is a good learning experience and gives me a place to start figuring out what I need to learn to catch up. Once the tests are returned, I'm going to go to the teacher's office hours and go over what I missed, since I want to be at the same level as the rest of the class by first quarter. The funny thing, though, is that I actually got over the class average (albeit not by a large margin).

There's one thing I noticed though: my class is made up of mainly sophomores, and hearing them before the test makes me a bit disappointed. On my way to class, I passed by a group of guys who were doing some last minute study, and one of them said they'd better "pass this or pass out," which I think is just a stupid maxim. Sure, it might have been a joke, but the thing is that it's representative of a growing mindset at my school– a competitive and at many times toxic mindset in which grades and GPA come before actually learning a subject. Oh well; I'll let you guys know how my chem adventure goes.

One last thing: I turned in a new form for a schedule change, but it looks like I won't be able to switch into AP English Lit (Photography is up in the air right now, and I'm still 50/50 on leaving Ceramics). I'm not too upset since I have friends in World Lit, and the teacher's great, but just a little disappointed. I guess I've bought into the idea that I need to take as many APs as possible to get accepted into a decent college (peer pressure is great!). I'll just try and figure out a way to spin my passion for American history and ELA into my essays, even without taking AP Eng Lit; talk about my two English classes, maybe?

Review: Kuuipo - Lupicia

Type: Flavored Black
Producer: Lupicia
Origin: India, Kenya, Indonesia
Brewing Parameters: 2-2.5g; 100­°C; 2-2.5 min.
Appearance: Mix of CTC and broken up rolled dark brown/black leaves, with rose petals and chunks of fruit
Rating: B | 84/100
# of Brews: 3

Tasting Notes and Thoughts
Two more teas left for the Hawaii set (barring any non-Hawaii specific teas– I got a few interesting senchas that I want to review)! Today's tea is "an alluring sweet-tart guava flavored black tea with red flower petals." I don't know specifically why they chose to say "red flower petals" instead of rose petals, especially when its pretty obvious what they are, but I guess it makes it sound fancier?

Anyway, smelling the tea, I thought it was very similar to fruit snacks (Welch's?). I thought it actually smelled a bit more like cherries instead of guava, which was a bit weird. This tea suffers from the same issue that a few of the Hawaii teas– that is, the fruit smell is a bit too artificial smelling, which makes it a bit hard to discern what the actual flavor is. Brewing it, the tea had a very dark, orange-amber (more towards amber) color. The liquid was a bit closer to smelling like juice than the leaves, but it still wasn't too pleasing or realistic.

As for the taste, it was surprisingly very similar to that of yesterday. Like Anela, the texture was smooth, with the fruit flavor being the main flavor, but mellow at the same time. In short, the guava flavor lasted the longest, ending on a sharp, but short, tangy note. It stayed as an aftertaste, leaving a slight waxy texture on the tongue. This was accented by the earthy flavors of the black tea base. The one issue I have with it is that, for some reason, it had a taste somewhat similar to soap after the second brew. Overall, it's one of the better teas, but I think Anela and Hoku are still the better teas.

Other Notes
Welp, apparently, the reason why my schedule hasn't been changed is because the school office lost my request forms. So, it looks like I have to fill out a new one to switch out of World Literature (to AP English Literature) and Ceramics (to Photography). I just have a few reservations, though– I like the speed of AP classes, but I don't like the people; I just find that its too competitive for no real reason (there's the mentality that to have an A, someone else has to get a lower grade– I feel like college admissions has to do a big part). Also, Ceramics is nice, but I'm not too passionate or interested in the subject. The teacher is a great person, but he doesn't necessarily seem to be good at teaching (and even if he is, I'd rather not force myself to try and like the subject). Hopefully I get switched in,  but we'll see by next week.

Other than that, it looks like I'm pretty prepared for the AP Chem test tomorrow; in the review session in class, much of the class (at least the vocal part) didn't know some of the concepts to the same level that I'm at, so now I'm not too worried about doing that badly. Again, my goal is a B- so I can figure out my weaknesses and work with the teacher on it afterwards. That aside, I'm going to start working as a TA for my stats teacher soon, and so far I like most of my classes bar ceramics. I'll give an update on how everything goes with my next review. See you!

Review: Anela - Lupicia

Type: Flavored Black
Producer: Lupicia
Origin: India
Brewing Parameters: 2-2.5g; 100­°C; 2-2.5 min.
Appearance: Medium-small, rolled brown and black leaves with whole flower buds and chunks of flower petals
Rating: B+ | 88/100
# of Brews: 3

Tasting Notes and Thoughts
Quick review today since it's the first day of school. According to the brochure, this tea is "a sweetly aromatic strawberry and lychee flavored black tea." The strawberry is definitely noticeable just by smelling the dry leaf, and there's hints of tomato. I didn't really notice the lychee, on the other hand.

Interestingly, the brewed tea, darker than the others, left what appeared to be gold flakes in my teapot despite me not seeing it in the dried leaf. The color was more of a gold orange than the others, and all I could smell were the strawberries. I thought that, unlike the other teas, this wasn't too artificial; in fact, it even smelled a bit like fresh berries or an Italian soda. The taste was similar, too. The closest thing I can place it to is a strawberry Italian soda– a slight bit sour, with a touch of sweetness. There was some bitterness, probably from the tea base (which I'm guessing is a darjeeling, based on the slight green color of the leaves in the water.

All in all, I think this was one of the more enjoyable teas of the group. The fruit taste was mellow and enjoyable, and it went down pretty smooth.

Other Notes

First day of school went alright. I think my favorite classes are African American Lit, AP Gov/Macro, and Competition Civics so far. However, my schedule change didn't go through yet, so it looks like I'll be stuck in World Lit and Ceramics for a few more days (my counselor said I can get a schedule change into AP Eng Lit, but not ceramics, if I can have my entire schedule switched, so there's that. Hopefully it happens tomorrow? Ceramics to photography apparently is next week).

As for the AP Chem struggle right now, I'll be studying my ass off today and tomorrow to figure out types of chemical reactions, predicting products, and writing equations (which didn't seem too hard when I did it at home, but when we tried in class I was clueless). Stoichiometry is okay. So, I'll be working on that for the next few hours. To be honest, my goal is a B for this first test, figure out what I need to learn, go to the teacher's office hours, and then put as much effort as I can into the first quarter so I can get caught up. Wish me luck! 

Review: Hua Ki - Lupicia

Type: Flavored Black
Producer: Lupicia
Origin: India, Indonesia
Brewing Parameters: 2-2.5g; 100­°C; 2-2.5 min.
Appearance: Very small, broken-up, rolled black leaves with chunks of fruit and purple flower petals
Rating: B | 83/100
# of Brews: 2

Tasting Notes and Thoughts
Number three of the Hawaiian teas! I think for the rest of the reviews, bar one, the tea will be a flavored black tea. This one is no exception. Like yesterday (and for the rest of the black teas), I'll be brewing in the kyusu according to the brewing parameters.

Again, like most of Lupicia's flavored black teas, this has that vaguely fruity smell that is very artificial. The description only states that Hua Ki is "a tropical fruits flavored black tea... luxuriously blended with mango–" except it doesn't smell like a mango. It has the smell of tropical fruit juice, but if you didn't tell me it was mango, I wouldn't be able to guess. For some reason, it reminds me a bit of barbeque sauce, actually. Compared to yesterday's tea, the leaves were actually quite a bit smaller, with even the flower petals broken up. Also, I think yesterday's tea smelled better in general.

While I did think it smelled worse (mainly because it was just too artificial), I think it tastes much better. After brewing, the liquid came out a dark orange, clear enough to see the bottom of my cup. The mango, too, definitely came out once it brewed; the wet leaves smelled exactly of unripe mango juice (a bit sour, but still fruity). As for its flavor, it is surprisingly mellow for a black tea. The main flavor is an earthy, slightly woody taste accented by the tangy mango. It ends on a very strong chocolate note, which ends abruptly. Nothing really lingers in the mouth, but a very faint mango note stays on the breath. It made me a bit thirsty after drinking; however, it wasn't really astringent or bitter. Overall, I think this tea is good, but like yesterday's, not knock your socks off good. It doesn't seem to need any milk or sweetener to make it taste any better– in fact, I think adding any would overpower its fruit flavor.

Other Notes

Last day of summer! I just made a checklist of what I should do, like cook certain meals (french toast and tonkatsu!), prepare for school, read and study, and so on. So far, I've cleaned the new room so there aren't random boxes lying everywhere, cooked french toast and my lunch for tomorrow, had a friend come over, and wrote this review. It's a bit of a lazy day. I don't know if I should do anything special, and if I should, what it should be. I'll write about it tomorrow or later this week if I do figure that out.

As for plans this school year, I guess I have quite a bit since it's senior year after all. To go on a tangent right now (because I just really want to talk about it– I can always write my plan for the year later, and these reviews are generally streams of consciousness), there's an issue I have with my school. The thing is, being from a suburban upper class school, it's come to feel like my life depends on college admissions. I don't want to worry as much as other people– mainly, the people that I go to AP classes with– but there's just so much pressure coming from my peers (and my parents, to an extent) to go to an Ivy league. Like, it seems that UCs, the schools I want to go to (and pretty selective, too), are terrible because they don't have a less than ten percent acceptance rate. Some people even have schools like Berkeley and LA as their safeties.

This mindset has put me at odds with both my classmates and myself. On one hand, there's the idea that I won't be able to get into a "good" college (by their standards) if I don't take AP Calculus, but on the other hand, I just want to take classes I'm interested in, like African American literature. The other issue too is that I want to take a STEM major in college, but my standardized tests and coursework points toward the humanities, like English and History. Classes like AP Calculus probably would help me in the long term, but the thing is I just want to enjoy my senior year. With college admissions, it's just like everything is a rich man's game. Not an average person's. It's not easy for me to have access to the opportunities that the people at my school have (namely through family connections or just money), and in order to be competitive academically, I can't do what I'm passionate in. Don't get me wrong, I love to do math and research, but I think at this point, seeing the current state of science is making me disillusioned.

I want to make a difference in the world. But the issue is that, at this point in my life, it looks like the only people that can do that are those with money to afford fancy internships at colleges, or those with family members in science. I've tried to do what I can on a budget: do science fair projects, research on my own, join free summer camps, and so on. However, for the things that do get you into the schools for the programs I want, this isn't enough. I guess we'll see.

Review: Lanikai - Lupicia

Type: Flavored Black
Producer: Lupicia
Origin: India, Kenya
Brewing Parameters: 2-2.5g; 100­°C; 2-2.5 min.
Appearance: Mix of CTC cut and broken-up, rolled dark brown leaves; there are also lavender/bluish colored flower petals, chunks of dried fruit (unsure what), and light blue rock sugar
Rating: B- | 82/100
# of Brews:  3

Tasting Notes and Thoughts
Second Hawaii tea! According to the brochure, this tea is "a peach, orange and mango flavored black tea. Its sweet and fruit flavor goes well with milk." For the sake of keeping things the same during reviews, I won't be drinking with milk– but for the record, I usually drink my black teas with milk and honey. I'll also be brewing western style in a kyusu since I don't exactly own a teapot for single brewing, and the kyusu I do have has a pretty large volume.

Anyway, as this is a black tea, I don't expect this tea to last past one or two brews, especially since it is flavored and the leaves are pretty small. Brewed for two and a half minutes, the liquid came out a dark, orange-amber color– but not necessarily as dark as, say, English or Irish breakfast teas. The smell was fruity and sweet, but I couldn't really pin it down to a single smell. For some reason, all of Lupicia's fruit flavored teas have generally the same smell: a bit perfume-like with a bouquet of fruits. If I could guess, the strongest here is the mango, with some chocolate from the black tea base.

As for the flavor, it didn't taste as rough as I was expecting. Rough, as in terms of bitterness or astringency, which is the norm for many black teas. For Lanikai, it starts off with that indiscernible fruit flavor, then moves into the orange– a bit tangy and bitter, like bergamot oil– and ends with a mango aftertaste on the tongue lengthening the sour flavor. The tea leaves a sort of waxy texture on the tongue, but does not create any sort of drying sensation in the throat.

In the end, I got three brews, with the second losing most of the fruit flavor (but still having some of the black tea base), and the third having little to no taste. Lanikai is one of Lupicia's better flavored black teas– their teas seem to be either really good or really bad– but I'm not exactly crazy for it. I'd make it a daily drinker for breakfast or something or have people who are not into tea try it, but it's not really my cup of tea per se.

Other Notes

Recently, my brother came to live with us after graduating from college, and so, we ended up renovating the house. As of this review, I'm now in a new room, which is pretty nice; in this new setup, I have a big desk (not just a drawer now!), workspace underneath a bunk bed, and most of the stuff I had in my old room– just more compact. Sadly, I won't be able to sleep in this room this weekend since we're missing a mattress, but I think I'll be moving in early next week.

As for school stuff, I got my schedule, but it turns out my counselor last year messed up and didn't file my papers for changing classes. As a result, I'm taking African American Lit, World Lit, Ceramics, AP Chem, AP Gov/Macro, and Competition Civics (in that order). I've turned in the papers for a schedule change (to switch World Lit for AP English Lit and Ceramics for Photography), but it looks like I won't have the change until after the first day of school. Since this is the last weekend of summer, I have no idea what to do, either. Most of this week I've been renovating the house, and today I studied chem for most of the day. I'm excited for school, but at the same time, I'm dreading it. Here's to a successful senior year?

Expect a few more reviews coming soon. I might do multiple in a single day, but my issue is not being able to put anything in this section. Maybe I'll just write the actual reviews in one day, save it until I have something to write about in this section (e.g. on the next day), and then publish it. Who knows.

Review: Hoku - Lupicia

Type: Flavored Oolong
Producer: Lupicia
Origin: Taiwan
Brewing Parameters: 2.5-3g; 100°C; 1.5-2 min. (recommended)
Appearance: Dark green ball oolong with small stems, yellow and blue flower petals, and metallic colored rock sugar
Rating: A- | 90/100
# of Brews: 4

Tasting Notes and Thoughts
Woah, it's been a while since my last review of Lupicia tea. While I do admit that Lupicia isn't always the best quality since their teas are generally flavored (this tea is no exception), it holds a special place in my heart as the company that helped pull me into the world of tea. Anyway, I picked this tea up during my trip in Hawaii, which I just got back from last night. This will be the first of a set of seven reviews, covering Lupicia's Hawaii exclusive teas. I also bought a few interesting shinchas while there too, so expect some more reviews coming soon.

I ended up choosing this tea in the Hawaii set to start with because it's a balled oolong, and to be honest, I haven't had a decent oolong in quite a bit. Looking at the tea before I brew it (gongfu style), the most interesting things are 1. the silvery, metallic sheen of the rock sugar and 2. the very pungent, flowery perfume smell of the dry leaf. In general, however, the tea looks to be a standard Lupicia tea with the choice of flowers and shape of sugar.

For brewing, I decided to stick with the recommended parameters despite brewing in a gaiwan. The liquid was a light, golden cream color with a scent very similar to the dry leaf– perhaps even more fruity and sweet. Immediately upon drinking, the first thing that came to mind is pina colada; the first and last thing I tasted was a creamy, pineapple flavor. After that was a bit of tanginess, like that of a mango, some cooling sensation, like mint, and then the return to the pina colada. As for the texture, I noticed that it was a bit irritating to the throat, but I chalk it up to there being a bit of dust in the drink (not sure if it was from my set or from the actual tea).

In the end, I was able to get 4 brews from three grams of leaf– double what was expected. Being that it was a flavored tea, it tasted the same throughout the whole session, just becoming weaker as time went on. All in all, I enjoyed this tea quite a bit, which is saying something, since I think Lupicia's tropical-flavored teas are usually they're worst.

Other Notes

Hawaii was actually pretty fun; we did quite a bit of hiking, shopping, and eating. I was surprised to see that there was such a large Japanese population there– both tourist and residential– and that the food was so good (ended up having quite a bit of udon and croquettes). Our hotel was in Waikiki, but we visited Pearl Harbor and the museums there, along with the Polynesian Cultural Center (Ha Breath of Life was amazing) and a few other places. Matsumoto shave ice was also one of the highlights of the trip.

Anyway, it's the last week of summer. I decided not to go to Freq.Fest.SF since I don't really have the money (spent it on the tea, heh) and it can be streamed from DNA Lounge's website. In fact, the whole time I've been writing this, I've been listening to the show. As for school, I missed registration so I don't know my schedule yet, but I'll be going to make up registration tomorrow; I'll update you all once I get it. To be honest, I'm not really sure how I feel. For one, I'll have something to do and will be able to see my friends and all, but then again, I have college apps and tests and so on.

If you don't remember, the classes I signed up for are African American Literature, AP English Literature, AP Government/Macroeconomics, AP Chemistry, Competition Civics, and Photography. Here's to hoping I get all of the classes I signed up for. 

Review: Earl Grey - Trader Joe's + Ambiance

Type: Flavored Black
Producer: Trader Joe's & Ambiance
Origin: Unknown
Brewing Parameters: 1 tea bag, 8 oz of boiling water, 3-5 min.
Appearance: Trapezoidal, paper tea bags with black fannings; the Ambiance bag has a slight yellow tint to it (lots of bergamot oil)
Rating: Trader Joe's: B | 86/100 & Ambiance: C+ | 78/100
# of Brews: 1

Tasting Notes and Thoughts
Today's review is going to be a side-by-side comparison of two grocery store Earl Greys. Both of these have been brewed at the same temperature and time (3 minutes), with no additives, such as sugar or milk. For the past few months, each has been a daily drink, albeit at different times, so I'll try to be as unbiased as possible.

After brewing, both teas were a very deep red, amber color. I think the Ambiance Earl Grey had a much stronger fruity smell compared to the Trader Joe's– probably because it had more bergamot, as evidenced by the darker colored dry teabag. Both had the earthy smell of the black tea base, but the Trader Joe's had more of the sour, somewhat sweat-like smell that can come from the oil. In general, the Ambiance is much more sweet smelling, while the Trader Joe's is more deep. Note: If you've never tried Earl Grey, I'd say its smell is very similar to Froot Loops or other artificial fruit-flavored foods.

Anyway, as for the taste, both were a bit bitter (probably due to the amount of water and leaf; I'd recommend masking it by adding milk, or brewing for shorter time). For the Ambiance Earl Grey, the main taste is the nutty, earthy taste of the tea base, which is followed by the sharp, citrusy-sour notes of the bergamot. It's a bit bitter, but has a smooth texture– and also leaves a dry note in the throat which goes away fast. The Trader Joe's Earl Grey is a lot less intense; the main note is somewhat coffee-like, and is also followed up with a sour– but not as strong– flavor. Interestingly, it has an aftertaste much more fruity than the Ambiance, similar to orange peels. The textures are pretty similar.

Overall, I think I prefer the Trader Joe's Earl Grey more than the Ambiance. It's a lot more mellow, which can be good or bad, depending on the person. In my opinion, if you enjoy stronger teas or the taste of bergamot, go with the Ambiance, but if you don't, go with the Trader Joe's. Either way, both make for a good morning daily drink.

Other Notes

Welp, I finally finished my final big summer activity– that environmental sciences summer camp at CSU East Bay. All in all, it was enjoyable; while I didn't necessarily learn much about environmental sciences (it was introductory stuff/general), we got to network with industry professionals and learn how it is to work in water, energy, and so on. Probably the best part of the week was when we went to a regional park– Big Break– and spent the day doing water quality tests and getting rid of invasive species in the Delta. The funny thing is, since I don't have a business card, I ended up printing out my abstract and giving it to people instead.

Now that that's over, I have three weeks left in my last high school summer (weird to think about, right?). For my summer homework, I just need to study for week one tests in AP Chem and AP Gov/Macro, do writeups on the national conventions for AP Gov, make a lesson about Montesquieu (which is pretty interesting) for Comp Civics, and analyze quotes for the Comp Civics journal. It looks like a lot, but my goal is to finish it this week and spend the rest of August before school relaxing. I've also started on my application essays, the first drafts of which I think are pretty good; I've expanded on my beliefs on US History, talked about the science fair, and analyzed how my environment– with racial diversity, but not economic– has affected my academics. I'll keep up the reviews in the meantime as something to break up the tedium of writing school stuff, but that's what's been up with me the past few weeks. 

Review: Fushigi Sanpin Cha - Higa Tea

Type: Flavored Green
Producer: Higa Tea
Origin: Okinawa
Brewing Parameters: 1 2g tea bag; brewed 1 min. with boiling water (recommended time and temp. not specified)
Appearance: Rectangular nylon tea bag with dark green tea fannings; there may be some Jasmine flower petals
Rating: B | 87/100
# of Brews: 1

Tasting Notes and Thoughts
Wow, it's been a while since I've done a teabag review. If you don't remember, the way I do these is just brewing the tea, and sipping on the cup until I get a decent flavor profile. In most cases, it's one cup, with no additives, like milk or sugar (even with teas like Earl Grey or English Breakfast, where I'd normally add something).

Anyway, here's the review. Now, I admit that brewing a green tea in boiling water isn't necessarily the best practice, but I'm surprised at how well it turned out. There was a very slight bitterness, which I believe isn't the result of mis-brewing, but rather the type of tea. From reading about it, Sanpin cha is a specialty of Okinawa; instead of being prepared like a traditional Japanese green (such as a sencha), it's prepared more like a Chinese green. I'm not necessarily sure on the processing techniques, but I'm going to guess that it's pan-heated rather than steamed. The taste is surprisingly similar to other Chinese green teas I've had– I can't put a name on it, but it's more easily brewed, tastier version of a Jasmine green from MK Teas (which I received from a tea exchange).

The profile goes like this: it starts out with the mellow, floral Jasmine notes, which quickly dissipate into a sharp tangy note with a hint of bitterness. As for the texture, it's smooth (bar that slight bitter taste) that leaves sort of a waxy taste in the mouth. The throat can get a bit dry if you drink this tea a bit fast, though. Overall, this is one of the better Jasmine teas I've had; I'd like to get my hands on some loose leaf of this tea, but for the convenience, the tea bags will have to do.

Other Notes

To be honest, the only reason I wrote today's review is so I could talk about this year's California Extreme, which was one of the best. Originally, I was going to go with two other friends, but one dropped out last minute (despite us planning this for a couple of months). We ended up replacing him, with it all working out since the friend that dropped out still had his info in the system (so the new guy got his name tag and everything). When we got there and had the whole missing friend-volunteer situation sorted out, we had a two hour shift of essentially just putting wristbands on people. During the shift, we made friends with one of our coworkers, who turned out to be a pretty stand up guy– friendly and entertaining (not in a bad way).

Afterwards, we picked up some free shirts, played a few games on the show floor, and walked to In N Out (which was a decent distance away) for lunch. Once we got back, we hung around a bit more on the floor playing more games; however, we felt like the games on the floor weren't all that great– mainly because they've been the same for the past few years and some of our favorite games were either gone or busy. We did play quite a bit of Ferrari simulator (time trial competition between the group), pinball, rhythm games, and Lupin the 3rd Typing (at least I did).

The highlight of the day comes from outside of the main floor, when we had an adventure around the hotel. Bored, we decided to take the elevator up to the 14th floor and then explored the stairwell. We eventually found our way to the Rockage SJ showcase, where we played a ton of Nidhogg and some sumo wrestler game on the arcade machine built by the Game Dev club at SJSU. The most memorable part of the night came when Super Soul Bros (the band playing at the time) told us to go onto Rainbow Road on Mario Kart 64. When we did, they began to play the theme of the course as a live soundtrack, even speeding up when we reached the final lap. After our race, they played one last song to close the concert, and we left.

Before going home, the three of us got onto our favorite game– The Grid. We played the last 20-30 minutes we had at CAX on those machines, went to have dinner, then went home. All in all, a pretty memorable night.

Review: Summer Rose - Teazillo

Tea Info
Type: Flavored Black
Producer: Teazillo
Origin/Base: Ceylon
Brewing Parameters: 2.8g, 100°C,  3-5 minutes
Appearance: Black, broken leaf base (larger than fannings) with large, pink-orange rose petals
Rating: B | 86/100
# of Brews: 1

Tasting Notes and Thoughts
I actually got this tea a long while ago (long while as in last year, July) as a 1 oz. free sample from Teazillo. I did post a review on their site after I got it, but I never was able to review it here. It turns out I packed a small amount (~3 grams) to save in a small plastic bag, but the bag was a bit open and the tea might now be stale or have other scents mixed in (like chai). Teazillo, the company that sent me this tea, actually sent me 2 oz. in really nice metal tins, but it looks like they went under a while ago. Oh well, they had a pretty decent flavored selection.

To be honest, I think this is one of the better rose teas I've had. The tea has large rose petals with a pinkish, orange color and a very dark black tea base. It smells a bit like potpourri, but it's not too overwhelming. After brewing for three minutes, the color was a dark, coffee color. The smell was sweet and earthy, with very light floral notes.

Surprisingly, the flavor wasn't as light as I'd expected it to be (considering the tea is a year old and not stored in an airtight container). It was a bit bitter, but not as much as yesterday's. The flavor starts off with a strong, dark chocolate taste and ends with a coffee flavor. Halfway through, the rose comes in with a tart flavor, which lingers after drinking and complements the chocolate pretty well. It's mostly smooth, but also has a little bit of a drying sensation in the throat after drinking. Overall, it's a pretty good rose tea; I suggest trying it with both milk and honey, but it's also enjoyable on it's own too.

Other Notes
Well, no school today, and I got nothing to do. All I've done is watch fencing videos, read a bit of A Confederacy of Dunces (pretty good book), and eat food. I'm probably just going to catch up on homework and study for all of the tests at the end of this week. You know why? Because spring break is next week! Woo!

Review: Mango & Strawberry - Dilmah

Tea Info
Type: Flavored Black
Producer: Dilmah Australia
Origin/Base: Ceylon
Brewing Parameters: 1 tea bag, 100°C,  3-5 minutes, 220 ml H2O
Appearance: Standard white/bleached paper tea bag with black tea fannings.
Rating: C | 74/100
# of Brews: 1

Tasting Notes and Thoughts
Wow! Long time since my last review. I'm reviewing a bagged tea today because I've actually reviewed everything else, and I'm saving money for now (even though I made $700 off the science fair, I just bought a ticket to prom and a set of fencing gear for sabre fencing). This tea is from my mom, who got it in Philippines.

Both dried and brewed, this tea smells a lot like fruit rollups– you know, that sweet, artificial strawberry flavor. I can't really notice the mango at all. As for the color, the tea brewed up very dark, reddish brown in only three minutes. I followed the brewing parameters, and to be honest, it's kind of shit. It's pretty bitter, with the fruity, medicinal taste following. Again, I couldn't taste the mango at all. In the back of the tongue, there's a sort of biting tart flavor that lingers. Unlike most black teas from Ceylon, this isn't earthy or chocolatey or anything at all; it's just bitter and a bit astringent. Maybe adding some milk and honey will work?

Well, milk and honey improved it only a slight bit. Milk does a pretty good job at masking the bitter taste, and complements the artificial fruit pretty well. Overall, it's passable with milk and a decent amount of honey. I'd recommend it as a daily drink or a tea to drink with people who usually don't drink tea.

Other Notes
Welp, yesterday I broke that small tea pot I recently got– I was cleaning it, and the lid tapped the handle, and the handle just snapped off. Also, I got rejected from both SIMR and the Arthritis Foundation internships. Oh well, shit happens.

Other reviews I have coming up the pipeline are Trader Joe's English Breakfast, Irish Breakfast, and Earl Grey, Touch Organic Green Tea, Red Sun Japan Green Tea, Twinings Lemon & Ginger Tea, and a few more. All of these are bagged teas.